Product Information

Publisher's Description

Jerry Eicher's many devoted fans will be enthralled by this endearing novel in letters based on Jerry's letters to and from his future wife, Tina, and their discovery that, indeed, absence does make the heart grow fonder.

When Eugene Mast leaves his Amish community in Worthington, Indiana, to teach in faraway Kalona, Iowa, he also must leave the love of his life, Naomi Miller.

For the next nine months of the school term, Eugene and Naomi keep their romance alive through love letters from his heart to hers, and from hers back to his.

Eugene writes of his concern that in his absence Naomi may find the attractions of another suitor to her liking. Naomi worries that Eugene may fall prey to the liberal Mennonite beliefs in the community where he now lives. Both can hardly wait until the school year is up and they're finally reunited.

A poignant and tender love story that will warm the hearts of readers everywhere.

Eugene Mast and Naomi Miller are in love an plan to marry, but first Eugene has his heart set on leaving Indiana to teach at a Mennonite school in Iowa. This means nine months of hardly seeing each other and lots of letter exchanges.

You can follow their activities in the letters and see how they each handle missing each other, getting through the days with only thoughts and memories, looking forward to getting a special letter in the mail, the disappointment when there isn't one, and looking forward to the day when this is over and you can finally capture that dream of being married and starting a family.

This book reminds you of the days when people used to find letters in the attic written by parents or grandparents. Eugene and Naomi reread their letters over and over, as our ancestors did I'm sure. Oh what this modern world is making us miss out on, sure you can print off an email or text and save it, but it just isn't the same as having something in someones own handwriting.

I had a hard time reading this book as the style wasn't to my liking. This had nothing to do with the content, which I did find to be interesting and enjoyed some of the stories. I used to try to keep diaries when I was little but couldn't do that either, maybe that's why it was a hard format for me to read, it kind of seemed like a diary to me but it was two people doing the writing.

I received a copy of this book from Harvest House Publishers for review. All they want is an honest review, the opinions stated above are my own.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley <http://www.netgalley.com/> book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Naomi & Eugene are a couple who become separated when Eugene accepts a job teaching a Mennonite school for 2 years. They stay connected by writing many letters to each other, encouraging and sharing stories from their everyday lives. A love story told through letters.

While well written and detailed, with a special sweetness to it, I found that this book was hard for me, personally, to dive into. I liked the humor and how this tale was uniquely told through letters, but there were more than a few times when my attention waned, which might have been due to how I wasn't used to the unique style this book was written in.

To me the book felt sort of slower than I would liked, but I do believe that this book had so much to offer to the person who is much more patient than I am! And there is much to be said for the sweet romance :)

Overall, I will say that this book just wasn't for me personally, but I think others would enjoy it. I think it helps immensely to know what it is about before reading it, and maybe that would have helped me to enjoy it more. A sweet book that wasn't for me.

I received this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!

I have read each and every one of Jerry's wonderful Amish novels and have never been disappointed. He always catches my interest immediately and keeps it throughout the book. The romance and faith , challenges and heartaches and pure joy is exhibited in each one. This book was very unique. For one, the writing style was completely different.

It is a series of letters written by Eugene Mast, an Amish gentleman who leaves his community for nine months to go and teach in a Mennonite area. He leaves his home in Indiana, as well as the love of his life, the beloved Naomi, the woman he is planning to marry, upon his return home. Sooo... the story is a compilation of letters written by Eugene and Naomi to each other during this time. I must admit , it took me a while to become interested in this . I am not one who enjoys reading letters. I prefer a pure fiction tale, as his previous books have been written.

However, as the story unfolds, through these letters, I began to feel a connection between the two young people. I felt as if I was a part of their very private lives and I believe this was the intent of the book. You do feel the romance, the love, loneliness that each of them experiences during this long period . Does absence make the heart grow fonder? In this case, I am not sure that they ever had grown apart. The letters do make you think of a young couple who desperately miss one another and their very deep love for each other. This book is based on fact and Jerry and Tina did go through this very sad separation period.

Overall, I did enjoy the book, but I must admit I prefer Jerry's other books. I did feel for the characters , however missed the exciting plots and twists and turns that his other books portray.

It is a well written book and many others will LOVE it. In fact, my sister in law can hardly wait to borrow it. So , it is a personal preference of mine to read pure fiction. This book certainly still portrays Jerry's talent of writing true romance. Keep writing , Jerry!! Love your books!

This book has been provided by the author and Harvest House in exchange for a fair and honest review.